Newham College

Studying law with an apprenticeship

Tahmeena Khanom, 18, completed her Level 2 Business & Administration apprenticeship while working for Westbrook Law in London and studying at Newham College.

Originally taken on as part of the administration team, Tahmeena was recently promoted to a paralegal by the firm. During her apprenticeship, she attended company meetings every other week where she would be offered feedback and additional training.

Tahmeena said: “I was given a lot of useful and positive feedback from my employer which helped me to progress. When I started the apprenticeship, I was working in the reception doing general administration tasks and within a year, I started to work with the case handlers attending court hearings. I am getting a lot of valuable experience and I get to travel with my work, which I enjoy.”

When asked why she chose to study as an apprentice, Tahmeena said: “After my GCSEs, I wanted to leave school and work, although my parents wanted me to get into sixth form. I began my A-levels, but I did not enjoy it. I did some research on other ways to get into law and I decided to apply for an apprenticeship.”

Tahmeena told us that she would recommend an apprenticeship to anyone who wants to gain work experience and independence at the same time as gaining qualifications. “Everyone has been massively supportive throughout my apprenticeship. My assessor at Newham College would visit me at work and helped me to manage my coursework.”

Since being promoted to paralegal, Tahmeena is now starting a Level 3 course in law, funded by her employer. She aims to progress to Level 6 which, with her practical work experience, will provide her with an array of career options.